Current methods of fighting wildland and interface fires from the ground leave a significant gap in options available to fire fighters. On the low end of the gap, only fire fighters on foot are available. This option, by its nature, restricts fire fighting effectiveness to the limits of what individuals can accomplish without the benefit of mechanized aid. Personnel on foot are limited in distances they can travel and fire fighting equipment that can be carried to places where they are needed. Additionally, crews are essentially restricted to clearing fire lanes or setting "back" fires in an attempt to contain the fire. Either of these methods require surrendering significant amounts of area to the fire in order to provide enough time to make the fire break.
In general, there are major problems associated with fire fighting by personnel afoot. First, there is a very slow response time by such personnel. It often takes a great deal of time to reach the trouble area by foot. The safety of the personnel is an important concern. When such personnel are on foot, they are relatively unprotected and are often unable to leave the danger area promptly. The only fire fighting equipment that is available to such personnel afoot is fire fighting equipment that can be carried by the personnel. It is difficult to resupply the personnel in such inaccessible areas. In order to effectively fight the fire, a very high level of manpower is required. When the personnel are afoot, there is no structure to protect the personnel.
At the high end of the gap is the use of conventional pumper type vehicles which carry water, hoses, and pumps for fire fighting. The smallest of these vehicles use Ford Ranger size four wheel drive chassis equipped with tanks, pumps, and standard structure fire fighting equipment These units are limited to a maximum of about 120 gallons of water onboard and require two persons to operate. Although the vehicles are off-road capable, they are relatively restricted in the area they can readily access. In rougher terrains, the vehicle speeds are greatly reduced and they are too large to enter much of the wildland growth density. Another problem is that the vehicle must (or should) be stopped when pumping water. Few of these vehicles are equipped to dispense foam. Those that do have foam capabilities are field retrofitted by whomever and perform with dubious, inconsistent results. Obviously, larger pumpers are almost entirely relegated to improved roads, require more personnel to operate, and cannot enter unknown small roads for fear of inability to turn around and exit the area. Application for this type of equipment is principally for fire fighting structure fires in relatively accessible areas with ample water supplies.
The present inventor developed a device for structure protection and fighting small fires in remote locations. This device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,146, issued on Dec. 19, 1995. This fire fighting apparatus includes a vehicle, a first fluid tank supported on the vehicle, a second fluid tank supported on the vehicle at a different location than the first fluid tank, a pipe connecting the first fluid tank to the second fluid tank so as to cause a flow of liquid between the tanks, a conduit extending from the tanks for passing the liquid in the tanks exterior of the vehicle, and a pump connected to the conduit for passing the liquid under pressure through the conduit. The device includes a foam concentrate tank connected to the conduit and positioned on the vehicle generally adjacent one of the tanks. The foam concentrate tank has a line extending to and communicating with the conduit. The conduit includes a first hose extending from the conduit and connected to a spray boom and a second hose extending from the conduit and connected to a spray gun.
During the development of the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,146, it was found that there were no foam nozzles on the market that would project a spray of fire retardant foam an acceptable distance. In general, the pressure available from the pump on the device proved insufficient to adequately project the foam to the source of fire. It was found that if it became impossible to adequately project the foam a satisfactory distance, then the utility of the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,146 would be greatly impaired. As such, a need developed so as to enhance the ability to project the foam mixture to a desired location at least 40 feet away from the vehicle.
As used herein, the term "foam" refers to the mixture of foam concentrate, water and air. The term "solution" refers to the mixture of foam concentrate (or foaming agent) and water. The "solution" is delivered to the nozzle apparatus. The "foam" is expelled from the outlet of the nozzle apparatus after the "solution" mixes with air.
Given the constraints of the all-terrain vehicle and the size of the equipment used, it was discovered that it would be difficult or impossible to incorporate larger pumping apparatus. As such, the pressure that was available from the pumping apparatus which could be used on the device would be insufficient to properly project the foam with existing nozzles and current nozzle designs. As such, experiments were conducted and a nozzle designed and tested such that it performed to acceptable levels and which made the vehicle viable for its intended purpose.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a nozzle apparatus that allows for the delivery of foam more than 40 feet away from the nozzle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a nozzle apparatus which can project foam at relatively low pressures and at low volumes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a nozzle apparatus which can deliver foam without the introduction of compressed air and its associated equipment.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a nozzle apparatus which enhances the mixing of the solution with air during delivery.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a nozzle apparatus which is easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and easy to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.